ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGE TO HERITAGE ASSETS. DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD: MAIN REPORT

Assessment of damage to heritage assets is often a weak element in environmental impact assessments (EIA). General method development is needed in this respect as support for the authors of analyses and descriptions for road projects. The task of the project Assessment of damage to heritage assets was to develop a method which can assess damage to protected areas for nature, culture or outdoor activities. The types of areas which have been studied are areas of national interest and Natura 2000 areas. The method has been developed with reference to a major review of e.g. Swedish, European and supranational handbook and educational literature, investigation material from infrastructure projects, and current guidelines and laws. The method is designed as a checklist which deals with a number of planning stages, i.e. a number of questions each of which must be answered before proceeding to the end of the checklist where an assessment - no damage, damage or pronounced damage - has to be made. At the same time, those completing the checklist must also answer a number of relevant questions in order to motivate their standpoint regarding the assessment of damage, both to themselves and to others. The method has been tested on a newly produced EIA and has been judged by external reviewers to work well. (A) This document is also available electronically via Internet at URL: http://www.vti.se/PDF/reports/M937.pdf.